Nigeria: Police arrest 21-year-old,accomplices over staged kidnapping in Enugu

By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria

The Enugu State Police Command has apprehended a 21-year-old man, Chidera Ako, and his accomplices for allegedly staging his own kidnapping and collecting a N2 million ransom from his parents. The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad in Nsukka.

According to the police, Ako was reported missing and his accomplices then demanded a N10 million ransom from his parents, sending a video of him bound and beaten with a locally-made single-barrel gun pointed at him. The parents negotiated the ransom down to N2 million, paying N1.5 million initially and an additional N500,000. However, instead of releasing Ako, the suspects were caught by police operatives at a Point of Sale (POS) center while attempting to withdraw the money.

A locally-made single-barrel gun and two live cartridges were recovered from the suspects.

The suspects have confessed to the crime and will be arraigned upon completion of ongoing investigations. The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mamman Giwa, has ordered further detention of anyone linked to the crime and urged the public to report suspected kidnapping cases immediately, avoiding hasty ransom payments, as some cases may be staged like this one.